Don’t sell the farm

In every previous year that he has been the A’s general manager, their position has been clear. At first, he was a seller. Since 1999, he has always been a buyer.

This year, the A’s are in the thick of the weak AL West race despite a pathetic offense. They could add a big bat and improve a lot — and they’ll need to improve to beat the Angels, who have a stable of talent at AAA and AA just waiting to pitch in. But as Bruce Jenkins recently pointed out, the A’s are kidding themselves if they think they’re going to reach the World Series with this team.

So should they sell? Barry Zito would fetch a great price.

Or should they buy? And if so, with what? For the first time since Beane’s reign started, the A’s are not loaded with hot minor-league prospects. They might have to give up several in a package deal to get anybody good.

Beane likes to make splashy moves, but personally I think this is a year for a minor tweak — a Jeff Conine-type hitter, for example, who they might be able to get for a middling prospect like Matt Roney or Mike Rouse.

It’s tempting to trade Zito. Strictly in baseball terms, it’s the most sensible move. If they don’t trade him, they’ll get two draft picks in return, but one will be No. 31 or slightly lower, and the other could range anywhere from No. 16 to No. 50, depending on which team signs him.

Teams that finish with a losing record don’t have to give up their first-round pick no matter who they sign, which is why the A’s didn’t get much for Miguel Tejada. This could happen again if Zito signs with the Dodgers or Padres, two distinct possibilities.

If the A’s wound up with, say, the No. 32 and No. 50 picks for Zito, that just isn’t much. Even the No. 20 and No. 32 picks would not be compensation as good as they could get by hand-picking from a team’s farm system.

But trading Zito is more complicated than just baseball. That would mean the A’s are giving up on this season. Jenkins is right — maybe they should. But the fan base, such as it is, would complain about it for years just as the White Sox fans took years to get over a similar deadline deal with the Giants that netted them a young Keith Foulke. And the new owner probably won’t want that.

We’re used to deadline excitement in Oaktown: Jason Isringhausen, Jermaine Dye, Jose Guillen, Ricardo Rincon and Kevin Appier are just a few of the guys who have shown up in mid-summer to bolster A’s pennant drives. But this year, it’s best to leave the luxury shopping to teams with deeper pockets and greater hopes of advancement.